Tuesday, April 15, 2008

oops i guess i'd better explain myself about my career choice!

after re-reading what i wrote, i guess it really does sound like i want to do paeds or neonatology. but the reality is, i hate paediatrics because i'm totally useless when kids cry (i only feel like slapping them to make them shut up - i have not a single patient bone in my body when faced with a crying/screaming/temper tantrummed/etc. kid, and will make an awful parent, i know). plus, paeds makes my brain hurt. i went home with headaches everyday from my paeds posting. there is SO MUCH TO KNOW, and there is so much at stake.i must admit, a part of it comes from spending time in the hospital as a kid. i detested hospitals and doctors for a long long time. so doing paeds was facing up to all these hidden/repressed memories!

and as for neonatology, i actually did consider it, but i always feel massive twinges in the neonatal wards - the babies are so tiny, and all fighting for their lives. i feel even more helpless, and i really can't bear that they're so helpless and i can't help them.

i have way too much respect for paediatricians and neonatologists to even consider going into their field. it requires far more brain power, patiences and loving kindness than i ever could possess.

i know i also waxed lyrically about ENT/otorhinolaryngology some time back, but thinking hard about it, i realised as fun as it is, i really can't see myself doing it everyday for the rest of my life. i like it very much, but i'm not as passionate about it as i am about OB/GYN. it's interesting, sure, i like it and i enjoy it extremely. but it doesn't get me going first thing in the morning, it doesn't get my adrenaline pumping and my heart racing. it feels exciting, but safe at the same time. and i'm the kid who usually rides the biggest rollercoaster in the amusement park! but ENT is a close choice behind OB/GYN and urology.

urology is much fun! :D that can't be denied. i have lots of fun seeing patients, in the OT and out, i like clinics and it's pretty simple yet you get lots of hands on fun. but it's also a male discipline, for a large part. and i still prefer women's problems to men's problems because i can relate.

whereas, in OB/GYN, i'm dealing with (mostly) motivated patients, who know what they're in for, who are coherent, who are adults and (usually) sensible. the big difference between kids and adults. i love doing deliveries, i love the way the father steals up to the baby after the delivery and ogles over it, the way he kisses and thanks the mother after the delivery, the way they both cry (mother openly, father secretly) whilst looking at the baby, the way the mother eagerly reaches out for the baby and holds it so tight. i love that.i love picking up the newly bundled baby and looking at it in awe and amazement. and the way the parents show the baby unconditional love.

i love gynae, and how cervical cancer is the most treatable cancer in the world, there's even a vaccine for it! gynae surgeries are simple and understandable, the anatomy is clear and usually a joy to behold.

there is much i love about OB/GYN! :D

so the part about the grasp reflex being the best thing in the world? it's true. but i was thinking more in terms of delivering the baby rather than taking care of the baby. that's all. :)

ditzy doctor wannabe is a struggling med school student who is trying to learn as much as she possibly can whilst attempting to overcome hypersomnia. she loves shopping, eating, watching tv and movies, cheerleading and distance running amongst other sports. this blog is a tribute to her patients and funny incidents in hospital, who always make her laugh